Revelation Answers

With the exaltation of the Son, the Dragon is expelled from heaven and cast to the earth where he persecutes the church – Revelation 12:11.  In chapter 12, the “ sign of the Great Red Dragon ” appears in the heavens, signifying the commencement of the “ war ” between him and the “ son ” who is destined to “ shepherd the nations .” But his attempt to destroy the “ son ” results in his expulsion from “ heaven ,” and the victory of the “ brethren ” over the “ ancient serpent .”

The Devil is bound in the Abyss until the appointed time when he is released to launch his final assault against the saints – Revelation 20:1-3. Next, the book of Revelation describes how Satan is bound in the “ Abyss ” for the “ thousand years ” until his release at the end of the period. During his imprisonment, he is prevented from “ deceiving the nations .” Only after he is loosed is he free to mislead them. The passage includes several verbal links to the expulsion of Satan from heaven in chapter 12.

Jesus is the True and Final Habitation of God, and Revelation says nothing about a rebuilt or third temple in Jerusalem in the thousand-year period .  In Revelation , nothing is said about a temple structure in the city of Jerusalem during the “ thousand years ” when Satan is “ bound ” or the restoration of the Levitical priesthood, feasts, or animal sacrifices. Based mainly on chapters 40-48 of the book of Ezekiel , some interpretations assume the Temple will be rebuilt during or shortly before the thousand years.

On the Mount of Olives, Jesus reiterated key information that is necessary for his disciples to avoid deception by false prophets . Christ’s final block of teaching, his ‘Olivet Discourse,’ is a series of instructions given to the disciples before his arrest and execution. In it, and repeatedly, he warns that “ many deceivers ” and “ false prophets ” will propagate false information about his return and the end of the age, therefore, constant vigilance is necessary - [ Watching - Photo by  Pawel Janiak  on  Unsplash ].

The False Prophet employs economic pressure to coerce men into rendering homage to the “Beast from the sea.”   In  Revelation , the “ false prophet ” uses the economic power of the first Beast against those who refuse to give allegiance to the empire, and the “ mark of the beast ” is employed to enforce conformity. The ability to level economic penalties against nations, communities, and individuals is the key to the false prophet’s power - [ Photo by Dmitry Demidko on Unsplash ].

The mouth speaking great things in Daniel appears in Revelation in the description of the Beast from the sea and its war against the saints .  In the book of Revelation , the “ little horn ” from Daniel is  NOT  explicitly named but its characteristics are present in the “ Beast from the sea .” But the book does not retell the same story without changes; instead, it modifies and repurposes it to tell  ITS  story. The “ Beast from the sea ” is based on Daniel’s “ little horn ,” but it also is something beyond what Daniel saw, and arguably, something far worse - [ Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash ].